Minnesota School Board Member Survey Results Minnesota School Boards Association and 1

Introductions Katie Klanderud, Director of Board Development, MSBA Roberta Thatcher, Manager Customer Strategy and Experience, SUPERVALU Candace Raskin, Professor/Director of Center for Engaged Leadership, Director of Edina Site Management and Development, MNSU, Mankato at Edina Barbara Wilson, Assistant Professor, MNSU, Mankato at Edina Anne Weyandt, J.D., Founder/Partner, SheridanStowe LLC President emeritus, Anoka Technical College 2

Agenda Objective of the Study Overview of Methodology Reasons for Running for School Board Training Challenges and Opportunities – Student Achievement – Racial Diversity Minnesota’s Changing Demographics Performance Perceptions Recap and Q&A 3

Objective of the Study Faculty from Minnesota State University, Mankato, working in cooperation with Minnesota School Boards Association leadership, conducted a research study focused on identifying the characteristics and the work of public school board members in Minnesota. Overall Objective: – Gain insight into how school board members view their role, responsibilities and work as a school board member and compare views to defined roles and responsibilities. 4

Methodology 5 Conduct Focus Groups with Current MN School Board Members August 2012 Conduct Focus Groups with Current MN School Board Members August 2012 Field quantitative survey (n=390) to current MN School Board Members October 2012 Field quantitative survey (n=390) to current MN School Board Members October 2012 Data Analysis and Report out Findings December 2012/January 2013 Data Analysis and Report out Findings December 2012/January 2013

RUNNING FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD 6

Are you currently an elected or appointed school board member? A.Yes B.No 7

Why did you run for school board? A.Friends and family thought I would be good at it B.Controversial issue C.Stand up for school staff D.Stand up for students E.For compensation F.To provide a public service G.To fix a specific issue in the district H.Political aspirations I.Other 8

Board members are running for school board to provide a public service and stand up for students 9 Almost ½ report being influenced by friends and family to join the board 2/3 report joining the board to stand up for students 1/4 report joining to stand up for staff

Deeper in the Research Board members who joined the board to stand up for students or staff were more strongly represented in districts scoring below average and average on statewide assessments. At a rate of 2.5 to 1 - Board members identified “stand up for students” to “stand up for staff” 10 Achievement LevelBelow AvAverageAbove Av Stand up for Staff 25%29%21% Stand up for Students60%76%61%

Running for School Board ESL Districts with Higher ESL Populations There was a significant difference in reasons mentioned for running for the board in districts with higher ESL populations. 11 Less than 25% ESL Higher than 25% ESL Family thought I’d be good at it 43%32% To provide a public service 88%53% Fix a problem15%6%

TRAINING 12

State level school board training should be mandatory for all new school board members A.Agree B.Somewhat Agree C.Neutral D.Somewhat Disagree E.Disagree 13

Yearly state level school board training should be mandatory for all school board members. A.Agree B.Somewhat Agree C.Neutral D.Somewhat Disagree E.Disagree 14

The state level training I received helped me become a better school board member. A.Agree B.Somewhat Agree C.Neutral D.Somewhat Disagree E.Disagree 15

85% feel new board members need training, and 50% feel yearly training for all board members should be mandatory Only 8% of members feel training is not needed However, members are divided on whether training should be mandatory for all members 16

While only ½ feel annual training should be mandatory, 9 out of 10 board members feel MSBA training was effective 17

Years on Board Significantly Correlated with… Years on BoardLess than Years More than 7 Attended a MSBA sponsored training 76%59%52% Attended MSBA conference67%83%77% 18 In the last year, have you…

Opportunity exists to have school board members work with a mentor 19

Years on Board Significantly Correlated with… Years on BoardLess than Years More than 7 Met with a district mentor10%7%2% Met with an outside mentor23%11%4% 20 In the last year, have you…

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 21

Which of the following is the most challenging aspect of being a school board member? 22 RankResponses 1 Setting a budget 2 Defining school board roles and responsibilities 3 Driving student achievement 4 Dealing with laws/mandates 5 Developing a long range vision for your district 6 Other

Which of the following do you the most time discussing at school board meetings? 23 RankResponses 1 Setting a budget 2 Defining school board roles and responsibilities 3 Driving student achievement 4 Dealing with laws/mandates 5 Developing a long range vision for your district 6 Other

How often are school board members presented with student achievement data in your district? A.Every month B.Every 2-3 months C.Every 6 months D.Every 12 months E.Never F.Not sure 24

At the last school board meeting you were in attendance at, what percentage of time was student achievement discussed? A.<25% B.25 to <50 % C.50% to <75% D.75% to 100% E.Not discussed 25

Driving student achievement and dealing with law/mandates are the top 2 challenges board members face While driving student achievement is the most challenging, less than ¼ of board members report being presented with student achievement data monthly 26 Dealing w/ Laws and Mandates Managing controversial issues Setting school district budget Developing long term vision Driving Student Achievement Challenging Almost 1/3 are presented with data only every 6 to 12 months

Of those districts that reported discussing student achievement data in the last 6 months… Most of these districts were higher socio-economic districts. 27 Less than 25% Free/Reduced Lunch More than 25% Free/Reduced Lunch 96% Identified student achievement as a topic of discussion 78% Identified student achievement as a topic of discussion

Of those districts that reported discussing student achievement data in the last 6 months… 28 Less than 25% Free/Reduced Lunch More than 25% Free/Reduced Lunch 68% Discussed programming for higher achieving learners 48% Discussed programming for higher achieving learner  What is discussed…

Board Topics Differed by Type of Communities Served Board members’ survey responses varied on the basis of community served: – Urban – Suburban – Rural

Board Topic Differed by Types of Communities Served – Urban boards tend to devote a higher percentage of time to discussions that pertain to student achievement – Suburban boards are more likely to identify the presence of programs to support high achieving students than their urban and rural counterparts – Rural boards were more likely to discuss issues pertaining to students in poverty

Strategic Planning made a difference in Board Topics 31 Topic discussed in the last 6 months Strategic Plan (291) No Strategic Plan (66) Racial Diversity40%26% Programs to support Struggling Learners90%72%

Strategic Planning made a difference in Time on Topic 32 Amount of time spent discussing achievement Strategic Plan (291) No Strategic Plan (66) No time3%6% Less than 5%44%60% 25-50%35%29% 50-75%15%5% %3%0%

Members feel setting a school district budget is the most important role of the school board Answer OptionsImportance RankTime Spent Rank Setting a school district budget 11 Driving student achievement 22 Communicating with the community 34 Maintaining a good school board /superintendent relationship 45 Adopting school district policy 53 Evaluating the superintendent 68 Defining roles and responsibilities of the school board 76 Rewarding good teachers 87 Addressing student discipline 99 33

Members feel setting a school district budget is the most important role of the school board 34 While driving student achievement is the most challenging aspect, it is not given as much time as setting a budget. After setting budget and driving student achievement, boards spend the most time on adopting policy. Communicating with the community and maintaining relationship with superintendent are rated more important and receive less time.

Driving student achievement Rated more challenging in lower performing districts 35 Challenge Rating Rated as Below AYP Rated as Av AYP Rated as Above AYP Rated %62%56% Rated 0-25%1%4% *AYP is the achievement rating given to school districts based on the statewide assessment given in public schools in MN.

MINNESOTA’S CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS 36

What is your level of education? A.High school B.Some college – no degree C.2-year college graduate D.4-year college graduate E.Graduate school degree 37

Your employment status. A.Employed full-time B.Employed part-time C.Full-time homemaker/care giver D.Retired E.Student F.Unemployed 38

What is your ethnicity? A.African American or Black B.Asian or Pacific Islander C.Caucasian D.Hispanic/Latino E.American Indian or Alaska Native F.Other 39

In what range is your annual household income before taxes? A.<$25,000 B.$25,000 to <$35,000 C.$35,000 to <$50,000 D.$50,000 to <$75,000 E.$75,000 to <$100,000 F.$100,000 to <$150,000 G.$150,000 or more 40

MN school districts are made up of increasingly more diverse student populations (racially, culturally, and demographically) 41

Statewide Demographics 42

Percent Change in Enrollment, FY 2003 – FY 2011, School Districts and Charter Schools Source: MDE 43 Changing Populations as a Percent of Public School Enrollment, to

School Boards Members demographics do not reflect school demographics 44

Members should be aware of racial diversity issues and consider discussing more frequently at meetings USDOE NCES report and 2012 MMEP State of Students of Color report confirm MN has one of the highest achievement gaps in nation between black and white students

PERFORMANCE PERCEPTIONS 46

I personally feel my school board operates effectively. A.Strongly Agree B.Agree C.Somewhat Agree D.Neutral E.Somewhat Disagree F.Disagree G.Strongly Disagree 47

As a school district in 2011/2012 which if the following best describes the overall academic performance of your students. A.Below the state average B.At the state average C.Above the state average D.Not sure 48

School board members overestimate the performance of their district Only 16% of board members feel their district is performing below average 49 Over ½ feel their school board is very effective

Two factors strongly associated with Board Reported Efficacy 50 YesNo Strategic Plan7.49 Effectiveness Rating 6.15 Effectiveness Rating Balanced Budget 7.41 Effectiveness Rating 6.4 Effectiveness Rating

Digging in Deeper to the Research… Strategic Planning Matters 1.Strategic planning influences a board’s capacity to engage on critical issues  Student achievement  Racial diversity of the student population  School district performance 2.Is connected in some way to balance budgets 3.Leads to higher levels of board efficacy

Findings and Further Research: Strategic Planning The relationship between strategic planning and a board’s capacity for engagement on key topics related to students and achievement is consistent with the literature (Conner, 2009; Iowa School Boards Association, 2001; Jarman, 2009 ). We further hypothesize that strategic planning contributes to board effectiveness by creating a sense of common purpose, but further research is needed to test the validity of this statement.

Further Research Needed About strategic planning – The need to study districts that plan – Define quality strategic planning – Identify how successful districts use this tool to plan, learn and focus on critical topics. 53

Recommended Actions… 1.Review your district’s policies and state law of practices for school board member training. 2.Increase the frequency of informed conversations around student achievement. 3.Use data and professional development to build board capacity to engage on student achievement topics. 54

Recommended Actions… 4.Evaluate practices and policies for impact on diverse student populations. 5.Ensure that board members understand the makeup of all students and families within the district and their current achievement levels. 6.Engage in a quality process of strategic planning and use the plan to guide board discussions and decisions. 7.Ensure your district has a strategic plan that is used to guide the district’s vision and mission. 55

QUESTIONS??? 56

Minnesota School Board Member Survey Results Minnesota School Boards Association and 57